Collective wisdom unlocked

Running a café has never been more complex – or ripe for opportunity. At MICE26, café owners are being given a three-day roadmap to sharpen their skills, rethink their strategies, and future-proof their businesses.

There’s a moment most café owners recognise: the pause between service peaks, when the machine is still warm, the staff are refilling the bean hopper, and you finally get a second to think. Often, that’s about tomorrow’s milk order or next week’s roster. Rarely, is it about where the business is actually heading.

Those moments to review, reflect and refine are exactly what the MICE Café Education Stage, powered by BeanScene, is all about.

Across 22 sessions, the Café Owners Education Series will tackle the realities of modern café ownership – from profitability and people management to menu innovation, sustainability, and growth.

Best of all, participation is included with every ticket, ensuring access for operators at every stage of their journey, whether a first-time owner, multi-site veteran or even an enthusiast looking for a coffee career.

Rather than abstract theory or trend-chasing, the series is grounded in real-world experience. That was Sarah Baker’s goal when she curated the 2026 program. As the series moderator, she will guide panellists to provide practical, relevant, and immediately applicable knowledge.

“At a time when café owners are juggling cost pressures, staff shortages, evolving consumer expectations, and rapid technological change, MICE gives café owners the rare chance to lift their heads up and look beyond the next service,” says Sarah, Publisher at Prime Creative Media, which runs MICE and publishes BeanScene and Global Coffee Report.

“It’s about understanding where the industry is moving, but also learning from people who’ve already faced the same challenges and found ways through them.”

The Café Owners Education Series will run continuously across all three days, becoming a central meeting point for discussion, debate, and shared learning.

“We’re proud of the high-powered line up of panellists we have secured for MICE26, many of them considered thought leaders, balanced alongside a series of everyday café owners who can deliver fresh insights right from the coalface,” Sarah says.

Setting strong roots

Café businesses face challenges not because of poor coffee, but often because of compromised foundations. Several sessions will focus squarely on setting businesses up correctly from the start – or fixing problems arisen without solid foundations set early on.

With the average café charging $5.50 for a coffee, fair pricing is returning as one of the headline topics in 2026.

The Coffee Value Gap will delve into the disconnect between low local coffee prices, the higher costs of production and international pricing. Lucy Ward, Head of Operations and Sourcing at ST. ALi Coffee Roasters, Abdullah Ramay, CEO of Pablo & Rusty’s Coffee Roasters, and Andre Selga,
Co-founder and Director of Southland Merchants, will feature in what may be one of the most consequential sessions at MICE26.

“We recently saw the Australian Bureau of Statistics that coffee has emerged as one of the strongest inflation drivers, with prices for coffee, tea and cocoa surging more than 15 per cent in the year to November 2025,” Sarah says. “Making pricing decisions is easier said than done, but when green bean prices are nearly double what they were a year ago – thanks to lower coffee-bean supply from overseas producers, and below average rainfall in Brazil combined with the strength of the Brazilian real – there’s immense pressure but also reluctance among roasters and cafés to pass on those price rises.”

Beyond this discussion will be a panel session dedicated on How to price your coffee and the key considerations when starting your menu from scratch. The session is ideal for operators looking to make pricing changes or for those questioning how other professionals are tackling this thorny topic in the face of competitors and customer concerns.

Meanwhile, Café Management 101 will offer a practical reset, unpacking the essentials of running a sustainable hospitality business. From understanding profit and loss statements to navigating legal obligations and retail rights, the session is designed to help owners avoid costly missteps.

That conversation continues in How to Establish Your First Café and Be Profitable examining the financial and operational decisions that shape success early on.

Independent versus franchise models, supplier relationships, lease considerations, and cash flow planning will all be addressed by the panel comprising Restaurant & Catering Association of Australia National President John Hart, Brisbane-based The Hideout Specialty Coffee Owner Eddie Cho, and Junnie Phyu who runs a coffee training workshop and Melbourne-based café More Coffee.

For established businesses, sessions such as How to Scale Smart and Longevity in the Café Market will shift the focus to controlled growth, resilience, and how to stay relevant and profitable in a dynamic and, at times, volatile market.

Menus that work harder

Menus often sit at the intersection of creativity and commerce. Several sessions in the program will examine how café menus are evolving – and how owners can latch on to meaningful trends.

Curating the Ultimate Café Menu will look at balance: offering enough choice to excite customers while maintaining operational efficiency. The Wellness Era of Coffee will explore how health-conscious consumers are influencing drink and food offerings, from functional beverages and protein-forward options to portion size and ingredient transparency.

Expect some fascinating insights from Riverina Fresh Executive Chairman Craig Shapiro on how cafés will dovetail with the rise of GPL-1s.

Cold beverages also take centre stage in The Cold Coffee Revolution, which asks whether Australia is finally embracing chilled drinks as year-round staples. Iced coffees, cold brews, matcha, sparkling tonics, and hybrid beverages will all be debated as tools for boosting off-peak sales and diversifying revenue.

For operators ready to experiment, Matcha Madness and Signature Drink Takeover will dive into how trending drinks can be integrated thoughtfully – becoming profitable staples rather than short-lived novelties.

“Can you be a successful café without matcha on your menu?,” Sarah asks. “We’ll hear from those who have merged matcha and coffee into a thriving business, and why signature drink beverages are the secret ingredient to extra café revenue.”

Beyond Coffee – How to Create the X Factor will challenge owners to think more broadly about what makes a café memorable – from community events and after-hours activations to wellness partnerships and multi-use spaces. The Grounds Group Director of Coffee Nick Ferguson, and Sergio Londono, Head of Coffee at Jack Murat, will be among panellists exploring how cafés can become destinations rather than pit stops.

“The most successful cafés create experiences, rather than transactions,” Sarah says.

“That might be through a drink, a space, or a sense of community – but there’s always intent behind it.”

People, systems, and smarter workflows

Staffing remains one of the most persistent pressure points for café owners. Recruitment, retention, training, and morale all have a direct impact on customer experience and profitability.

Sessions such as How Can Automation Deliver a Premium Experience? will provide a thought-provoking exploration of how technology can support – rather than replace – hospitality. The focus is on behind-the-scenes systems that reduce friction, improve consistency, and free staff to do what they do best: connect with customers.

In a similar vein, Has the Art of Customer Service Disappeared? will bring the conversation back to fundamentals.

“Great coffee is expected in Australia,” Sarah says. “What sets venues apart is how customers feel when they walk in. Service still matters, and it always will.”

As service models evolve and ordering becomes increasingly digital, the session will question whether hospitality standards are slipping – and what that means for long-term loyalty,” Sarah says.

Insights from industry leaders

Learning from those at the top of their craft is a defining feature of MICE. Several sessions will give attendees direct access to the thinking behind some of Australia’s most respected cafés and professionals.

Learn from Australia’s Best Baristas looks beyond competition results, exploring the habits, mindsets, and lessons that elite baristas carry into everyday café life.

Meanwhile, How to Turn a Hobby into a Career will speak to aspiring professionals and home baristas considering a leap into the industry.

Broader industry conversations unfold in sessions such as How to embrace retail coffee in your business, and The Great Specialty Coffee Debate, which will  grapple with  what specialty coffee really means to consumers, how education influences value perception, and whether premium offerings can remain viable in a price-sensitive market.

Education at MICE extends well beyond formal sessions. Throughout the expo floor, exhibitors bring ideas to life through hands-on demonstrations, tastings, cuppings, and interactive activations.

“MICE is a chance to absorb as much insight as possible in a short time,” Sarah says.

“One conversation or one idea can genuinely change the direction of a business. That’s the power of getting the industry together in one room.”

Don’t miss the GCR Leaders Symposium

For those serious about the future of their coffee business – and how it fits into a global context – the 2026 Global Coffee Report (GCR) Leaders Symposium at MICE is shaping up as a must-attend event.

Taking place at 8am on day two of MICE, organisers have secured a high calibre cast to discuss the most pertinent topics for larger coffee businesses.

One of those sessions is How to Scale Smart, featuring some of Australia’s most revered roasters including Michael Rababi, Founder of Di Pacci Coffee Company; Lachlan Ward, ST. ALi CEO; Craig Dickson, Nomad Coffee Group Founder; and Andrew Low, CEO of Coffee Supreme.

“One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is the importance of constantly reinvesting back into the business – in people, systems, equipment, and culture,” says Michael, offering a glimpse into what he will discuss on the panel.

“Sustainable growth doesn’t come from extracting profits early, but from building strong foundations over time.”

Andrew will highlight the fundamentals of scaling: “It comes down to a few fundamentals. One of those is hire for culture, train aggressively, and give autonomy. Test and learn by rolling out a product, pricing tactic, or strategy in one region before refining and reviewing. Only then should you invest at scale.”

The symposium will also feature Starbucks Australia CEO Braeden Lord for a keynote discussion examining the lessons of Starbucks Australia’s past, the realities behind its current resurgence, and the future of the brand as it looks to grow sustainably within Australia’s world-leading coffee culture.

Winnie Nawei, Managing Director of Kenangan Coffee Australia, will explore international success, the barriers to foreign business, and how the company plans to adapt international identity within local markets. Also presenting will be Kate Langford, CEO of the Big Group, detailing the expansion of quality coffee in the wider hospitality industry.

“The coffee industry only moves forward when experienced operators pass on what they’ve learned,” says Moderator Sarah Baker. “This event creates a space where ideas, mistakes, and successes can be shared honestly, helping the entire industry raise its standards.”

Seats are limited for this ticketed event, with registration opening at 8am on Friday 27 March at MICE’s Café Education Stage (enter via Door 9).